A run from the Strickland Arms going horribly wrong!

An attempt at a circuit from the Strickland Arms via Sizergh Castle round and down but aborted by Lois breaking her shoulder.

Route: leaving the car opposite the Sizergh Arms and running through the grounds of Sizergh Castle up towards the car park to exit on the clear straight gravel path ahead to reach a path sheltered in a narrow band of trees. Exiting this after a short high level back track through a gate to climb across two fields to reach a tarmac track to Heslsington Church. Turning left along a stony track, going straight ahead through a gate. At this point, Lois taking a bad tumble and fracturing her left shoulder. Thus, after a pause, descending at a walk a grassy path across parkland cutting a corner to the left before a large grove of trees to join another track briefly uphill and then down to the Sizergh Castle car park and back to the start.

Conditions: a pleasant dry slightly sunny evening.

Pub? No, an immediate visit to A&E. Much later, whatever booze was to hand. 

An 8.5km run in lower Kentmere

A solitary 8.5km run (L at Greenbelt) on a day after heavy rains.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Staveley and running down Station Road an Silver Street to cross Barley Bridge and take Hall Lane to the turn off to Scroggs Farm and along the track to take the right turn uphill to Low Elfhowe. 

Taking the southerly track down to cross Hall Beck and climb, rather slowly, to cross Hall Lane again and then approach Ghyll Bank. Heading south along the road to take the second path left to Frost Hole, cross the stream and descend past Side House to the c-road and thence past the sewage works to the path back to the footbridge to the Mill Yard.

Conditions: initial heavy rain followed by sun. Very wet under foot.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Five Hop.

Mouth of Ennerdale: Grike to Lank Rigg

A 12km jog, walking the uphill sections.

Route: Leaving the car on the road over Scarny Brow near Harry Hodgson’s Well and running down the road to turn right onto a rough track and climbing gently, north east, to enter a plantation. At a complicated junction, keeping left close to a fence until a stile on the left gave access to the side of Grike. Now walking up a narrow and fairly steep path to the summit. Then running down to a very marshy saddle (with a transmitter) and walking up a grassy path to Crag Fell. Keeping close to the edge on a path past a subsidiary summit with more open views and then running down to cross the original track. Then following a wall on the left uphill, at a walk, until, near where the wall bends left, a path branches to the right crossing the flank of the hill and then slowly ascending the top of a wide flat ridge. Turning right here to reach the broad summit of Whoap, 50m short of a white sheep-like stone.

Continuing in roughly the same direction at a run downhill to cross a saddle and climb slowly to Lank Rigg. Back the same way to the saddle and then following a clear but narrow path, wet and very marshy in places, along Whoap Beck having to ford one stream (removing socks and insoles and wading) and jump another and then leaving it where it became the River Calder to climb up to the road and run back to the car. 

Conditions: cloudy but dry. Frequently very marshy under foot two days after a day of torrential rain.

Pub: the Fox and Hounds, Ennerdale Bridge, for Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, Fox and Hounds Amber and lunch.

Windermere station to Staveley on the Dales Way

A hot solitary 9km jog (Lois in Chicago).

Route: taking the 10:30 (Sunday) train to Windermere and running back past Lakeland to take Thwaites Lane to the A591, turning right uphill. Ignoring the normal path and continuing, for the first time, to just past the first switchback of Banner Rigg to turn right on a path across slightly rough ground, going left at a fork to cross the railway with a traffic light. Almost immediately, tuning left through a deer gate into wilder country and keeping to the left with woodland to the right. Shortly after a gate, turning right on impulse to climb, very much at a walk. School Knott. Then on on the obvious route downhill, grazing the tarn and cutting a corner to reach the Dales Way. Then along this to Staveley.

Conditions: too hot and without breeze. Thus much walking on uphills.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for Five Hop. (This turned out to be my last visit before the brewery was suddenly shut on 10th September.)

Reston Scar, Hugill Fell and Black Crag

A solitary (Lois in Chicago) 6km jog, walking the up hill sections and running the level and downhill sections.

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Staveley and running along Beck Nook to the footbridge to Windermere Road and along this to the A591. Taking a faint path to the right to an unlocked gate and then right on a clear path. At a T junction continuing right along the previous vector climbing on a sometimes over grown path. Pausing to photograph a Manchester Water Corporation gate and then continuing to exit the right to roam land into a filed, turning left uphill to find the usual Reston Scar track. At the wall, taking a deer gate to the left and steeply uphill and then eventually to the summit of Reston Scar. Continuing to Hugill Fell and then across the marshy section on helpful planks to Black Crag. Then descending to the road and across Barley Bridge to reach the back entrance to the Mill Yard.

Conditions: after earlier rain, a bright sunny day.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley for Five Hop. 

9km Staveley run south to Bowston

A 9km run before Lois went on holiday, the next day, to Chicago.

Route: leaving the car on the road just before the Eagle and Child (the Mill Yard now charging for parking) and heading up Gowan Terrace, the Banks and the Crook Road to the bridge over the A591. Here taking a track left back before the bridge towards the railway line and then south, gently uphill to reach a stony track from Ashes, becoming Ashes Lane and then a metalled c-road. In the woods, taking, for the first time, a meandering path roughly parallel to the road and then left to cross the slip road and the A591 to a track through a farm, over the railway and east along to Bowston. 

Doglegging left-right to the bridge over the river and taking the Dales Way to Hagg Bridge and continuing through the woods, T resorting to walking and dunking his head in the river to cope with temperature disregulation. Then via the sewage works to the footbridge into the Mill Yard.

Conditions: a humid 23C and mainly breezeless.

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for WPA and Five Hop.